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Give yourself a treat January 7, 2010

Celebrate the new year with a new and much deserved addition to your liquor cabinet: Leopold Bros. Michigan Tart Cherry Liqueur. It is pretty much crafted with one purpose: to blow your mind.

I was on a desperate hunt for bitters for my New Years’ soiree, and when I finally got some at the third store I went to I found myself distracted by these beautiful liqueur bottles. I passed up the sour apple, blueberry, and cherry varieties for blackberry, figuring it was the obvious choice for making a sparkling wine cocktail. But the liquor manager urged me to try to the cherry.

I tried it straight over ice and was immediately impressed by it’s moderate sweetness. Then the most amazing and true flavor of baked cherries. This stuff tastes exactly like fresh cherry pie filling, complete with that amazing amaretto flavor that a tart cherry gets when cooked. It is out of sight. The liqueur is too thick for me to drink straight or on the rocks, but adding some sparkling water made for a wonderful afternoon drink. Later in the evening, the liqueur matched perfectly with sparkling wines, the baked cherry flavor pairing well but not overpowering the wine. The bottle didn’t make it to the end of the night.

Retails for about $20 for a 375mL bottle. A great addition to a party, or selfishly squirreled away for oneself. Should be good on your shelf for about a month or two, and I promise you will drink it all before then.